Independence Police Foil Robbery At Local Walmart

Five young women now face charges for their attempt to steal merchandise from the Walmart store in Independence earlier this year.

An investigation led to the arrests of the following suspects in the case: Jasmine Donald, 18; Kaila Johnson, 19; and Naviea Steele, 18. The women, all from Waterloo, are each charged with second-degree robbery. They were each being held in the Buchanan County Jail on $10,000 bond as of Tuesday morning, Independence police said in a press release.

Authorities identified the fourth suspect as a juvenile.

They are also looking for a fifth person in connection with the crime. Independence police said an arrest warrant has been issued for 27-year-old Jalissa Simmons, the alleged getaway driver.

The attempted robbery at Walmart happened around 6 PM on Jan. 21. Independence police responded to the incident and discovered that four young women entered the retail store and attempted to take items without paying.

According to police, the women piled merchandise into a shopping cart. As they tried to leave, one of the suspects pepper-sprayed a store employee.